Obesity is a growing health problem in many countries. Obesity increases the risk of health problems such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and some forms of cancer. Reducing excessive body weight can significantly reduce the risk of these health problems. The primary treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise followed by weight-loss medication and surgery. Currently, there are only two FDA-approved weight-loss drugs on market: Orlistat (Alli®) and Sibutramine (Meridia®). Neither has achieved the weight-loss goals set by FDA. In addition, several weight-loss drug candidates, also known as appetite suppressants, have been either suspended or canceled at various stages of development due to their severe side effects.
Although there are many methods to reduce initial body weight, long-term maintenance of that lost weight is difficult. Many people who successfully achieve initial weight lost regain the weight subsequently. In addition, morbidly obese patients may need medications for a long-term maintenance of healthy body weight after a successful weight-loss surgery. Therefore, in 2004, NIH recognized that weight loss maintenance is critical in preventing the complications of overweight and obesity (see, Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research, 2004). However, there is currently no weight-loss maintenance drug on the market.
There exists a need for methods for inhibiting or reducing weight gain and methods for maintaining weight loss. The present invention seeks to fulfill these needs and provides further related advantages.